1. Field of the Invention
The present disclosure relates to a mobile terminal having an antenna module for transmitting and receiving wireless signals.
2. Description of the Related Art
Terminals may be generally classified into mobile/portable terminals or stationary terminals according to their mobility. Mobile terminals may also be classified as handheld terminals or vehicle mounted terminals according to whether or not a user can directly carry the terminal.
Mobile terminals have become increasingly more functional. Examples of such functions include data and voice communications, capturing images and video via a camera, recording audio, playing music files via a speaker system, and displaying images and video on a display. Some mobile terminals include additional functionality which supports game playing, while other terminals are configured as multimedia players. More recently, mobile terminals have been configured to receive broadcast and multicast signals which permit viewing of content such as videos and television programs.
As it becomes multifunctional, a mobile terminal can be allowed to capture still images or moving images, play music or video files, play games, receive broadcast and the like, so as to be implemented as an integrated multimedia player.
Various new attempts have been made in the aspect of hardware or software in order to support and enhance the function of such a mobile terminal.
Antenna as a device formed to transmit and receive wireless electromagnetic waves for wireless communication is a constituent element essentially required for a mobile terminal. A mobile terminal has a tendency to implement various functions such as LTE, DMB, and the like, in addition to voice calls, and therefore, an antenna should implement bandwidths satisfying the functions, and of course should be designed in a small size to be integrated into the mobile terminal.
A planar inverted-F antenna (PIFA), typically used in mobile terminals, has a narrow bandwidth, thus causing difficulties to obtain broadband antenna characteristics. According to the foregoing requirement, structural improvements for implementing a multi-band operation have been carried out.
Furthermore, due to the trend in mobile terminals, the size of a bezel has been gradually reduced, thereby resulting in an insufficient arrangement space of the antenna. In view of the circumstances, in recent years, mobile terminals using a metallic member itself forming an external appearance thereof as an antenna have been released on the market.